SPORTING ANSWERS
Night-vision foxing options
FOXING
Q I’m thinking about taking the plunge from a lamp to a thermal or night-vision scope for fox shooting. What are the differences and advantages of each?
A Night vision works by using an infrared torch with an invisible beam — at least to humans — to provide a light source, giving a green or black and white image, allowing you to clearly see your quarry. With night vision, like the lamp, you will get eyeshine back when a fox looks at you.
Thermal works by displaying everything relating to its temperature, making anything living or ‘hot’ stand out clearly against its background.
Although you don’t get eyeshine with thermal, as long as you have a direct line of sight to your quarry, any part of it will show up as a heat source and be easily visible.
The downside to thermals is that, at a distance, it’s not always easy to identify your target species and it’s also considerably more expensive than night vision.
The benefit is that there is no visible light to give away your presence and anything with a heat signature can be quickly spotted.
The downside to
